• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.331-336
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• 2011

Capacitance soil moisture sensor is extensively used by soil research and irrigation management with its convenience and accuracy. This experiment was conducted to evaluate the acceptability of capacitance soil moisture sensor, named EnviroSCAN made by Sentek Ltd., in Jeju Island where volcanic ash soils are widely distributed, and to calibrate it to various soils with different amount of soil organic matter. For sensor calibration equation of volcanic ash soils, a logarithm function is better than a typical power function of non-volcanic ash soils. So there are possibilities of under evaluated in soil water contents in very wet and very dry conditions by using typical power function with volcanic ash soil areas. We suggested practical coefficients of typical calibration equation for using capacitance sensor in volcanic ash soils, also suggested equations for estimation of them with soil organic matter contents. The measurement of soil water content with a capacitance sensor can be affected by some soil characteristics such as porosity, soil organic matter content, EC, etc. So those factors should be controlled for improving the accuracy of measurement.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.85-94
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• 1998

Due to relatively high permittivity of water in soils, we placed the soil condenser into soils to measure the soil moisture content. The soil condenser was made with two insulated iron sticks. The capacitance of the soil condenser was determined by the pulse period from RC type oscillation circuit and the highest voltage output accepting 10MHz pulse. After zero point adjustment, the measured relative capacitance percentage (RCS) to the standard condenser obtained by the oscillation circuit almost linearly correlated with the end depth of the sensor submerged in water. The RC type oscillation was disturbed by many sensor installed in a close distance in one place, presumably resulting in that the sensor sticks played as a interfering antennas generating or accepting electron waves from them. The temperature dependance of the output from the sensors could be corrected through experimentally determined revision function. Although lineal correlation was found between soil moisture and RCS, users should derive their own correlation function for every sensor to measure soil moisture, because the outputs were influenced by the installation depth and layout in the soil. The voltage type sensor responded inversely with soil moisture content and so was not suitable to the accurate measurement of soil moisture, but allows high economic benefit in various application such as simplified measurement of soil moisture and irrigation line control because of its low component count. The voltage type moisture sensor could be reinforced by relay controlling circuit to open and to close the solenoid valves respectively at optimal limits of the least and the most soil moisture according to user's adjustment.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.79-88
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• 1998

This study was conducted to measure the moisture content of soil using RF impedance in the range of 1 to 30MHz. Considering the water potential flow in the soils, two types of sensor such as parallel cylinder and perpendicular plate type were fabricated and tested. The capacitance and resistance of sonsors for soil samples having moisture content range of 2 to 27% were measured by Q-meter (HP4342). The higher soil moisture content was and the larger soil bulk density was, the more the capacitance of sensors increased. To eliminate the effect of bulk density on measuring soil moisture content using RF impedance, two kinds of model having the density independent functions such as the ratio of capacitance change to conductance change and weight of water and dry soils respectively were developed and estimated by regression analysis.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.15-23
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• 2000

RC oscillation method was applied to study the condenser characteristics of two metal sticks insulated by vinyl tube and used in the dielectric constant determinations of most soils. Its capacitance as influenced by the contacted ambient materials was measured as relative capacitance of the sensor sticks compared with the standard one on the RC oscillation circuit. According to the equivalent circuit of the sensor stick set, the measured capacitance was composed of a basic capacitance connected in parallel with sensor stick capacitance, which was composed of lineally connected vinyl tube capacitances and the sensing part capacitance. The dielectric constant (U) of the contacted ambient moist soil located in the sensing part around the sticks interrelated with the other parameters as following equation. $$\frac{1}{C-B}=\frac{k}{U}+Z$$ where C is the output total relative capacitance, B is the hidden and fixed basic relative capacitance, k is a constant related with U, and Z is a constant for the insulating vinyl tube capacitances determined by its thickness and dielectric constant. The constant k is determined by the spacing and length of sensor sticks. The Z value is theoretically an invariable constant, but it may become considerably bigger than the determined in lab if air tube is formed on the surface of sensor sticks by some shocks on them after their installation in soil. Due to the unstability of lab Z value, it may be better to revise it after sensor stick's installation in soil and no shaking shocks should be applied on them.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.369-376
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• 2003

This study was conducted to develop a precision measurement method of water content in soil (find sand and silty sand) using dual RF impedance changes. The electrically stable perpendicular plate capacitive sensor was fabricated and utilized to sense the water content in soil. Crystal oscillators of 5 and 20 MHz and related circuits were designed to detect the capacitance changes of a perpendicular plate capacitive sensor with soil samples at various volumetric water contents. A multiple regression model for volumetric water content having dual oscillation frequency changes at 5 and 20 MHz as independent variables resulted in coefficient of determination of 0.963 and standard error calibration of 0.030 cm$^3$/cm$^3$ for calibration and coefficient of determination of 0.966, standard error of prediction of 0.027 cm$^3$/cm$^3$ and bias of 0.001 cm$^3$/cm$^3$ for prediction.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.309-315
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• 2009

Maintenance of adequate soil water content during the period of crop growth is necessary to support optimum plant growth and yields. A better understanding of soil water movement for precision irrigation would allow efficient supply of water to crops, thereby resulting in minimization of water drainage and contamination of ground water. This research reports on the characterization of spatial and temporal variations in water contents through three different textured soils, such as loam, sandy loam, and loamy sand, when water is applied on the soil surface using an one-line drip irrigation system and the soils are dried after the irrigation stops, respectively. Water contents through each soil profile were continuously monitored using three Sentek probes, each consisting of three capacitance sensors at 10, 20, and 30cm depths. Spatial variability in water content for each soil type was strongly influenced by soil textural class. There were big differences in wetting pattern and the rate of downward movement between loam and sandy loam soils, showing that the loam soil had a wider wetting pattern and a slower rate of downward movement than did the sandy loam soil. The wetting pattern in loamy sand soil was not apparent due to a low variability in water content (< 10%) by a lower-water holding capacity as compared to those measured in the loam and sandy loam soils, implying that the rate of water drainage below a depth of 30cm was high. When soils were dried, there were highly exponential relationships between water content and time elapsed after irrigation stops ($r^2$${\geq}$0.98). It was estimated that equilibrium moisture contents for loam, sandy loam, and loamy sand soils would be 17.6%, 6.2%, and 4.2%, respectively.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.341-348
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• 2013

Maintenance of adequate soil tension or content during the period of crop growth is necessary to support optimum plant growth and yields. A better understanding of soil tension and content for precision irrigation would allow optimal soil water condition to crops and minimize the adverse effects of water stress on crop growth and development. This research reports on a comparison of soil water tension and content variations in differently textured soils over time under drip irrigation using two different water management methods, i.e. pulse time and required water irrigation methods. The pulse time-based irrigation was performed by turning the solenoid valve on and off for preset times to allow the wetting front to disperse in root zone before additional water was applied. The required water estimation method was a new water control logic designed by Rural Development Administration that applies the amount of water required based on a conversion of the measured water tension into water content. The use of the pulse time irrigation method under drip irrigation at a high tension of -20 kPa and high temperatures over $30^{\circ}C$ was not successful at maintaining moisture tensions within an appropriate range of 5 kPa because the preset irrigation times used for water control could not compensate for the change in evapotranspiration during day and night. The response time and pattern of water contents for all of the tested soils measured with capacitance-based sensor probes were faster and more direct than those of water tensions measured with porous and ceramic cup-based tensiometers when water was applied, indicating water content would be a better control variable for automatic irrigation. The required water estimation-based irrigation method provided relatively stable control of moisture tension, even though somewhat lower tension values were obtained as compared to the target tension of -20 kPa, indicating that growers could expect to be effective in controlling low tensions ranging from -10 to -20 kPa with the required water estimation system.